The Hothead, the Coward, the Fool, the Friendless
by Sylvr
Summary: A Founders Fic. How the four Founders came to be what they were. Sort of a fairytale-fic. Not related to Sleeping Dragon. NOT slash.


Of Hotheads and Cowards, and of Fools and the Friendless

A thousand years ago, there were four young magical people—two wizards, two witches. The first of the wizards was very clever, but lacked courage. The second was as brave as could be, but was entirely without cunning. The first witch was quite uneducated, but very loyal, and the second was a scholar, but rather friendless. The cowardly wizard was named Godric, and the hotheaded one Salazar, and the foolish witch was called Rowena, and the friendless called Helga.

These are the four Founders of Hogwarts.

But that will come later. The four did not know each other growing up—Godric was the son of a nobleman, who was quite displeased that his son lacked bravery, though he manipulated the court's most clever members with the ease of a child building a tower of blocks. Salazar was a knight, and defeated many great and terrible creatures and villains, but was moved about like a pawn on a chessboard by the cunning dukes and barons. Peasant girl Rowena, though a powerful and popular witch, lacked the knowledge to use her power, and the wisdom to be careful who she befriended. And Helga the merchant's daughter had been scorned by her friends when they found she was a witch, and so she holed herself up in the library and in the gardens, learning all of the knowledge of the past and discovering the slow secret wisdom of nature.

But Helga wished she was more trusting and loyal, and so she left her books and plants, packed her bags, and embarked on a journey.

And Rowena felt that if she only knew more, and was wiser, she would be happy, and so she said farewell to her friends, gathered her few belongings, and set out on the dirt path in front of her parent's cottage.

Godric soon tired of the scorn of his father, and decided that if he only learned to be brave, his father would be proud of him, and so he took up his ill-used sword and a sack of gold, saddled the finest mount in his father's stables, and clattered away through the great gates of Griffindor Castle.

And brave Salazar was sickened by how he was manipulated by the members of the court, and so he put on his shining armor and green cloak, mounted his faithful war-horse, Foxfire, and set out on a courageous quest to become cunning.

For many weeks the four traveled, each seeking to become what they were not, but they could find no one who could tell them what they wanted to know.

And then one day Godric and Salazar met on a narrow bridge through a great Forest. Godric was fleeing from a sleeping dragon he had passed earlier that day, for fear it would waken and eat him. And Salazar was going to go and slay the dragon, because it had carried off two beautiful young maidens that had been passing through the nearby village of Hogsmeade. But both stepped onto the bridge at the same time, and neither wanted to allow the other to pass.

"Get out of my way!" Salazar cried, "For I am going to save the maidens from the dragon, coward."

Godric, though he knew he was, indeed, a coward, did not like to be called such. "Coward? I have just crept up to the selfsame dragon you are going to slay and tickled it's stomach with a goose feather. I would bet that you could not do the same." Godric lied, for he thought; he will tickle the dragon and it will surely devour him, and I will be revenged for his insult.

Hotheaded Salazar took his bet, and the two rode off towards the dragon. They reached the clearing where it slept, and Godric stopped, waiting hidden in the trees as Salazar rode forwards. He tugged the plume from his helmet, stretched his arm out, and tickled the dragon. It wakened, and its terrible head swung around to snap at the brave knight. But Salazar drew his sword, and struck it in the eye, and it died. Its great body uncoiled and, there, once trapped within the turns of the dragon's body, were Rowena and Helga. As soon as he laid eyes on raven-haired Rowena, Salazar fell in love. He promptly rode up and told her so. She giggled prettily, and mounted his horse behind him. Fearful Godric fell in love as well, but with quiet Helga. He moved quietly from between the trees, and sweetly but nervously complemented her. Flattered but still cautious, she sat behind him on his mount. So the four of them rode on through the forest. As they went, Godric said to Salazar, "I am not a brave man, but you are very brave."

And Salazar replied, "But what is bravery? You are cunning, and got me to slay the dragon for you. I would that I were cunning instead of brave."

"But it is easy to be cunning! I could teach you how."

"If you would, I would train you how to be brave."

"Then we have a deal."

And behind them, Rowena smiled brilliantly at Helga, eager to make a new friend. Helga smiled unsurely back, and wondered if, perhaps, she would ever find a true friend.

Late at night, they stopped and made camp. Salazar and Godric laid out their beds on one side of the fire, and Rowena and Helga on the other. While the men quickly fell asleep, the women had a little more trouble. They sat awake, staring deep into the fire.

"So," Rowena asked quietly, "Why are you traveling?"

"I am trying to learn how to be a more loyal, trusting person. I want to find friends."

"I will be your friend!" Rowena said excitedly.

"Really?" Helga was surprised. "But—but I am a witch. Aren't you afraid?"

"Of course not! I'm a witch as well, you see. But I don't know anything about how to do magic. That's why I'm traveling. I want to become wise."  
"I could teach you magic and wisdom, if you'll teach me about how to be a good friend."

"Then we have a deal too."

And so the four traveled together for many years, each becoming more powerful. Godric became brave, and Salazar cunning. Helga was the best friend anyone could desire, and Rowena was more knowledgeable and wise than she'd ever dreamed.

But with their tasks accomplished, they felt purposeless, until Rowena suggested that they open a school for magic, so that they could teach others about bravery and cunning and friendship and wisdom. All four thought that this was a brilliant idea.

They decided to build the school where they had first met, where the dragon slept. The body had decayed to naught but bones, and atop those bones they built a great and magnificent castle. They made four houses, to separate those who were cunning, from those who were brave, and those who were loyal from those who were wise.

Those who were cunning were to learn bravery from courageous Salazar Slytherin.

Those who were brave were to learn cunning from clever Godric Griffindor.

Those who were wise were to learn loyalty from trusting Rowena Ravenclaw.

And those who were loyal were to learn wisdom from knowledgeable Helga Hufflepuff.

However, as the years passed, Slytherins began to forget that they were to become brave, and focused more on becoming cunning, and Griffindors scorned being clever and touted their courage. The Hufflepuffs blindly and foolishly trusted their fellow Hufflepuffs, and the Ravenclaws guarded their knowledge fiercely, even from their friends. But that was after the time of the Founders, and not what this story is about.

No, this is the story of the hothead and the coward; the fool and the friendless, and how the hothead became the cunning, and the coward the courageous; the fool became the wise, and the friendless became the loyal one.

This is the story of four friends who made each other's weaknesses their strengths.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

**A/N: Harry Potter's not mine, clearly.**

**I was thinking the other day how people put the most value on the things they don't have. This being true, perhaps the Founders prized most the traits they were weakest in.**

**Review, please.**

**~Slvrstar**


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